Annika Norlin to end the working week. Aka: Hello Saferide and also Såkert!, Norlin is a singer-songwriter who also moonlights as a journalist for several Swedish publications as well as a broadcaster.
Since I haven’t been running any Rock Without Borders candidates the past several weeks, I ran across this concert recently and thought it made a good entry.
So often, we’re accustomed to thinking everything Rock and Indie has to be sung in English and performed by either an American band or a UK band. The reason behind our Rock Without Borders posts, is to give you some idea that there’s a lot going on in other parts of the world and a lot of it is good. And sometimes the language barrier can be a deal-breaker with some listeners, while with others it
is a case of no matter what language is being sung, it’s the quality of the music and the ensemble that’s most important.
She has been around for a while, since 2005, and has released some 18 albums, under her two pseudonyms. And according to reports and judging by the sound of the audience, Norlin is popular in Sweden and has a loyal following.
I was struck by the simplicity of her performance – remarkably devoid of electronic wizardry and just straight forward music making. Norlin has an expressive voice and her backup band are a good compliment to her work.
I would recommend hitting the play button and listening for a bit. Like so many artists, it’s a question of getting your work out in front of people and hoping they like it. Over the years, Annika Norlin has become better known throughout Europe and is highly regarded in her native Sweden. See what you think.
